Corn-planter.



. G. M. GORMAN.

CORN PLANTER..

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1909.

94mm., r l

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

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i v By TTURNEf/S G. M, GORMAN.

CORN PLANTER.

APPLICATION :FILED JUNEQ, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Arron/vers G. M. GORMAN.

CORN PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1909.

9419874, Patented Nov. so, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

lill/Illini A f "OHNE rs G. M. GORMAN.

CORN PLANTBR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1909.

9415874. Fatened Nov. 30, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ATTO/EWE V8 GBOVER M. GORMAN, OF ANAMOSA, IOWA..

CORN-PLANTER.

einem.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 30, 1909.

Application filed .T une 9, 1909. Serial No. 501,025.

To all whom fit may concern.:

Be it known that I, Gnovnn M. GORMAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Anamosa, in the county of Jones and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Corn'Planter, of which the following Iis a full, clear, and exact description.

The principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to provide a mechanism wherein is employed a marking device for seed planters, whereby the rows of hills are maintained in parallel lines and equidistant; to provide a mechanism for accurately operating the said marking devices, which mechanism may be raised and lowered out of and into voperative contact with the ground, conjointly with the planting device; and to provide a simplified and efficient construction,A the cost of which is reduced to the minimum.

One embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention; F ig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side elevation of the same, taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the driving mechanism for the planters, the section being taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a cross section of the housings and the sprocket wheels mounted upon the traction axle, the axle being shown in full lines; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the feeding mechanism, shown partly in section.

The planting mechanism herein illustrated, is similar in many respects to that commonly employed at the present time. The grain to be planted is placed in the cylinders or hoppers 6, provided with rotary feeding disks which are rotated by a gear wheel of the usual construction, adapted to engage the serrated edge of a depending flange 7 to which the said disk is connected. The driving gear wheel'is fxedly mounted upon a shaft 8, which is extended across the suspended or front frame and mounted in bearings in side plates S), suitably secured to front and rear cross bars 10 upon which the hoppers are mounted, being rigidly attached thereto by a nut and bolt 11. Each cylinder or hopper 6 is pivotally attached at 12 to the front or runner frame, and in its feeding position it is locked by a wing nut 13. The grain as delivered from the cylinder or hopper 6 is received in a chamber 14. A slide plate or second drop is operated by a crank arm 16 which engages the forked end of the said plate, as shown particularly in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the crank arm 16 being mounted to move with a tappet arm 17, and bot-h are mounted :upon a rocking bar 18, which extends across the frame and is suitably mounted in the plates 9. The tappet arm 17 is provided at the end with a tappet roller 19, which rests upon the body of the wheel 20 to receive the impact of tappet cams 21, 21. The wheel 20 is mounted upon the shaft 8 about midway between the two cylinders 6, and the tappet arm is mounted upon the shaft 18 opposite the wheel 20, while the arms 16 are mounted in close relation to furrow openers 22. The shaft 8 is driven from a wheel 23, which is fixedly mounted upon a sleeve 24 on the axle 25. The sleeve 24 further carries sprocket wheels 25 and 26, the latter of which is provided with internal ratchet teeth 27, which are.

engaged by a plurality of pawls 2.8, guid-l ably mounted upon a disk 29 and forced outward therefrom by springs 30, the pawls being pivotally mounted` at 31. The hub 32 of the disk is provided with suitable recesses to receive the springs and is fixedly mounted upon a sleeve 33,\wl1ich has fixedly mounted thereon a gear Wheel 34. The sleeve 24 carrying the above-mentioned members is loosely mounted upon an axle 35, and is caused to rotate therewith only when a movable clutch member 36 Ais moved into engagement with stationary clutch teeth 37. The movable clutch member 36 is keyed to the axle at 38, and the movable clutch member is normally forced into engagement by a spiral spring 39 contained in a cup 40. Nhen the clutch 36 is thrown into engagement with the clutch member 37, the sleeve 24 and the wheels connected therewith are rotated. The sprocket wheels 25 and 26 are connected with whecls41 and 42 mounted' upon a shaft 43, havin fixedly mounted at its ends marker Whee s 44 consisting .of blades 45, braced by curvedrods which maintainV the blades in their proper relative position, the blades being joined at the cen-- i lars 50, rotatably mounted on the shaft43 and pivotally connected to braces 51, which are lixedly mounted at 52 upon a draft pole 53.

With such a construction the operation is as follows: 'The axle 3 5 is rotated by traction wheels 54, to at least one of which the axle is ixedly attached. The rotation of the sleeve 24 with the wheels 25 and 26 causes the wheels 41 and 42 to rotate, the mot-ionbeing transmitted through chains 55 and 56.

. The wheels 41 and 42 being ixedly mounted upon the shaft 43, the markers 44 are compelled to rotate to press the blades 45 -into the surface of the ground. It will be observed that in this construction, the engagement with the ground by the markers is not depended up'on to cause the rotation, whereby any slippage caused by the looseness of the ground texture is avoided. Heretofcre the slipping., has proved disadvantageous, in that the rows become disarranged by reason of the said slippage.

The operation of the checker in the planting mechanism and of the markers is timed in such marmer that the marker blades enter the ground at points in line with the deposit of the grain in the ground. That the marker blades may be set to operate in line with the former work, requires that the shafts 43 and 8 shall be moved independently Aof the axle 35. It is foi` this purpose that I have constructed A the wheel 26 as shown in cross section in forward direction, when the pawls 28 will engage the ratchet teeth 27, and rotate the wheel 26 as well as the wheels 23 and 25 without moving the axle 35. When this rotation transpires, it will be understood that the clutch 36 is thrown out of engagement with the clutch member v37. By so rotating the wheels 23,25 and 26, the shafts 43 and 8 are rotated, so as to produce the action whereby the markers 45 are inserted into the ground and the grain from the planting mechanism is deposited. In this position the spring 60 is permitted to lift the bolt head 59 out of enga ement with the wheel 34, while the clutch 1s advanced so that the movable member 36 engages the clutch 37.

lIn its forwardmovement the apparatus now operates as above described but in uniformity with the previous Work, or lay-out.

The chains 55, 56 and 61 are provided wlth spring-actuatedl take-up rollers or idlers 62,whereby the chains are constantly held in a taut position. The slidableclutch member 36 is thrown into and out of engagement with the clutch member 37 which is ixedly mounted upon the sleeve 24 by a bell crank lever 63, one arm of which is connected by a. rod 64 to a lever 65. The lever is of ordinaryV construction, andl is,l therefor, not particularly described.

When passing'- to and from the field of operation, it is not desirable that the planting and marking mechanisms should be in contact with the ground; therefore, when thus moving, the lever 65 is retracted to throw the clutch member 36 into inoperative position, and this permits the sleeve 24 and the parts connected therewith to remain stationary. The sleeve 24 being stationary, the shafts 43 and 8, together with the operative members connected therewith, are likewise stationary. When thus moving to and from the work, it is desirable that the planting mechanism and the marking mechanism should be removed from surface contact with the ground. It is for this purpose that the frame comprising the side plates 9 and the cross bars 10 carrying the planting mechanism and the shaft 43, are suspended on the frame 66 .of the wheel frame and the draft pole 53. The frame 66 has a central beam 67, which is extended t`o form a hook 68, to which the rear end of the draft pole 53 is connected by a link 69. The supporting frames for the planting mechanism and the marking mechanism are secured to the said pole by the braces 51 and braces 70, all of which pivot upon the boltv 52.

The front or runner frame is supported on extensions 71, which are secured to the forward cross rod 10 at 72. The extensions 71 are connected by meansof links 73 and a 105 tie rod 74 with the wheel frame 66. One member 73 is Xedly attached upon a shaft 75, upon which is mounted a hand lever 76, provided with suitable bolt head detents 77 to engage quadrants 78. When the hand le- 110 vers 76 are retracted, the links 73 are thrown forward, which causes the extensions 71 to be raised relatively to the pole 53 and likewise tothe surface of the ground.

The shaft 43 is mounted in-journals set in 115 guide posts 7 9,.and from the upper side of the journals are extended guide rods 80, whichv are infolded by spiral springs 81, mounted. within each box and adapted to press independently upon each side of the 12@ center of the shaft 43. This construction provides for the accommodation of the markers to inequality in contour or density of the ground on the op osite sides of the track being followed by t e apparatus.

The operation of the corn planter is as follows: While proceeding to the field, the level' 65 is retracted to disenga e theclutch mechanism, and to render the s eeve 24 and the shafts 43 and 8 stationary. The levers il 7 6 are retracted to raise the planting mechanism and marking mechanism out of contact with the ground. Having arrived at the field of operation, and having placed the apparatus in such position lthat one of the Wheels 54 tracks in the line of the markings as previously formed, the lever 58 is engaged with the Wheel 34 and lby it the sleeve 24 with the connected members, is rotated to present the blades of the markers to the ground, .in lateral alinement With the previous markings. The, lever 58 is then disengaged, and the lever 65 is released to permit the clutch 3(3 to engage the clutch 37 and thereby iixedly attach the sleeve 24 to the axle 35. rli`he team is now driven, the driver maintainingthe Wheel 54 in the line of the former marks. By means of the chains 55, 5G and G1, the markers 45 and the planting niechanismare operated so that the planting operation proceeds and with it the marking foi' the next succeeding operation. Having arrived at the end of a furrow or line; the planting and marking mechanism are lifted lout of contact, and the operating mechanism therefor is disengaged when the Wheel frame is turned and placed in position forthe return trip, the markers being again adjusted to the former planting or marking as described. In this operation the-usual wire is dispensed With, dependence being entirely placed on the markers.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new' and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

ik corn planter, comprising a carrying 'frame mounted on an axle having carrying Wheels, upon one of which the said axle is fixedly mounted; a runner frame pivotally supported on said carrying frame; a planting mechanism mounted on said runner frame embodying a shaft disposed in parallel relation to said axle; a marking mechanism supported on said runner frame, embodying a driving shaft mounted in said runner frameF and disposed in parallel relation to 'said axle; marker Wheels consisting of a plurality of flat, blade-like extensions ixedly mounted on said driving shaft and disposed to be inserted in the ground at intervals corresponding to the dropping of 'the planting mechanism and in line therewith; an elongated sleeve rotatably mounted on said axle covering the median portion and extended to eachk side thereof; a clutch member xedly mounted on the one end of said sleeve; a ratchet member fixedly mounted on the opposite end of said sleeve; two sprocket Wheels of equal diameter mounted fixedly on said sleeve; tWo sprocket Wheels fixedly mounted upon the saidv shaft of said marking mechanism, said sprocket Wheels being suitably related to the sprocket Wheels on said sleeve to produce a desired rotative relation of the shaft to the sleeve; endless sprocket chains connecting thesaid sprocket wheels on said shaft and said sleeve; a clutch member slidably mounted on said axle disposed to engage said clutch member` xedly attached to said sleeve; a paWl mechanism rotatively mounted on said axle to engage said ratchet; and a lever piv-v otally mounted on said axle connected With said pavvl mechanism and embodying means for rocking said lever in adjusted position. lin testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo 'subscribing Witnesses.

' @ROVER lei/l". GRMAN. Witnesses:

E. Gr. Paar, E, l?. MILLER., 

